A Whirlpool of Change
by Exiled Sage
Summary: Born into the royal family of Fiore, Naruto has been behind the walls of a castle for all his life. After an unexpected meeting with an unexpected individual, Naruto desires to travel the Kingdom just as his mother had. Along the way, Naruto will attempt to learn everything about the common people before his ascension onto the throne.
1. Chapter 1

**A Whirlpool of Change**

 **It has been a while since I posted anything on this profile for good reasons, there has been some personal issues that have occurred over the past few months and I have allowed my brother control of the account, posting stories and etc. Now that I am back, I plan to get back into the swing of things by writing a new story. Note, since it is going to be a new story and I hardly wrote for some time, Naruto will be OOC.**

 **-X-**

 **Name: Naruto (Uzumaki) E. Fiore**

 **Race: Human**

 **Gender: Male**

 **Occupation: Prince of Fiore, Independent Mage**

 **Family: Toma E. Fiore (Father), Kushina Uzumaki (Mother), Hisui E. Fiore (Sister), Hisui's Mother (Unknown Step Mother)**

 **Affiliations: House of Fiore, Royal Family, Kingdom of Fiore**

 **Base of Operations: Castle Mercurius**

 **Rank: Prince, Independent Mage**

 **Status: Alive**

 **Abilities/Skills : Unknown**

 **Chapter 1: The Gift of A Lifetime**

 **Year x766**

Naruto E. Fiore had always been a strange child, being born from the union of King Toma E. Fiore and the mage and commoner, Kushina Uzumaki. Weeks before childbirth, Kushina had been struck down by an Magic Deficiency Disease and thus during childbirth, Kushina's weakened body could not handle the strain of childbirth and soon enough she had passed onto the realm of the dead with her newborn in her arms. Toma, whom had not been present as he was away on a political gathering with other sovereigns of the surrounding countries that occupied the country of Ishgar, had been greatly sadden when he hand found out his beloved wife had passed on.

Not long after, the ruler of Fiore had been bombarded with marriage requests from other countries, hoping for some form of political sway in the country of Fiore. After pressure from his personal advisers, Toma had been reluctant to marry once again as his heart still lingered on his deceased wife. With a son that was only a few months old, Toma had denied all requests and pleads of marriage until he found an individual whom could take care of his son in his absence. Though a King, Toma had his duty to his people, not always around in his castle due to the negotiations between countries, Toma had decided he needed to find someone he could trust to be by Naruto's side every day and night, taking care of him in his absence.

It was not long until Toma had found his sons guardian in the form of Arcadios, the Chief of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron. After raising his son to the ripe age of six, Toma had been forced to marry another, to be precise, a Princess from the country of Joya. The marriage went as planned, though the Princess did not like Naruto much, she tolerated him for her position as Queen. Toma, who had left for a meeting with the King of Joya not long after the marriage had left the control of the country under the Princess and she had that opportunity to send Naruto. Naruto, at that time was at the rip age of six and thus she sent him to Château de Tulipano, a small castle built near the small city known as Malba city. Reasons for her actions was simply that she did not wish to deal with the son of the other Queen.

* * *

A man with tanned skin and a deep set of eyes, high cheekbones, with a small scar running from his left temple to the edge of his thick eyebrows. The man also possessed a snub, square-shaped nose, dark and wavy hair around his head, with prominent sideburns that joined into a curve and pointed beard. Dressed in a set of traditional steel armor with the symbol of the Cherry Blossom Knight Squadron embedded onto the maroon red cape that fell from the back. The man was Arcadios, the knight of Prince Naruto E. Fiore, and currently he was looking for his prince.

Scanning the forested area around him, Arcadios had every member of the royal guard fan out for the prince. Hacking a path forward, Arcadios could not help but worry about the safety of his prince. The prince was the last thing Fiore had of their first Queen, the second Queen was not someone Arcadios could respect. Queen Kushina was not someone would assume was a Queen, the woman had been more tomboyish than anything, always blunt and straight to the point. But, that was not what Arcadios respected of her, no, why he respected her so much was because she was not born royalty and only achieved that position through her hard work in a sense. Capturing the heart of King Toma E. Fiore during a magic tournament with the King present, Kushina had been courted by the King and later on became Queen. Now, this new Queen was not anything like Kushina. Though the woman was tolerable, she held no benevolence for any commoners unlike Kushina and only seemed to acknowledge royalty. A huge difference between her and the first Queen.

Shaking his thoughts away, Arcadios continued his search with renewed effort. Naruto was the last gift that Queen Kushina had left behind for the Kingdom of Fiore and he would be do everything in his power to help him ascend onto the throne. It was not long until Arcadios had found his Prince, Arcadios had found his prince seated on a rock speaking to a man clad in red robes and a white toga.

"My Prince!" Arcadios called out in relief as he ran to his charge.

"Arcadios!" Naruto replied with a happy grin plastered onto his face, "You're here!"

"My Prince, do not run off like that again." Arcadios begged as he released a sigh, "You could have been hurt."

"Sorry..." Naruto mumbled as he looked down on the ground apologetically.

"My Prince, who is this man?" Arcadios asked as he turned to the black haired man.

Naruto's mood quickly shifted as a cheerful smile overtook his face and the young prince jumped off of the rock and walked towards the black haired man. Sending him a bright smile filled with innocence of a child, Naruto turned to Arcadios and answered the question with excitement in his tone, "This is Spriggan-nii-chan! He helped me when I was lost!"

Arcadios studied the man with a calculative gaze before he bowed his head in gratitude, "Thank you for helping Prince Naruto, Spriggan."

The newly named Spriggan only nodded his head in response and spoke in a strained tone, "Yes, I will be taking my leave now."

Arcadios nodded his head, but the words caught Naruto off guard as his smile quickly fell and a frown formed in it's place. Running to Spriggan , Naruto grabbed hold of his robes and spoke, "Spriggan-nii-chan, you said you would teach me magic."

Spriggan was caught off guard by those words as he blinked a few times and knelt down to speak to Naruto. Making sure to avoid physical contact with the child, Spriggan replied in a apologetic tone, "I am sorry, Naruto. But, my magic is something that you should not learn."

Seeing the disappointment look enter Naruto's eyes, Spriggan quickly spoke again, "But, here. This is for you."

Reaching into his robes, Spriggan pulled out a old book and handed it to Naruto. Naruto who took hold of it with both his hands, he scanned the bindings and noticed it was torn in some areas and it seemed like a very old book. A smile replaced the frown on his face as Naruto flashed his smile at Spriggan and a thought entered his mind. Shifting the book onto one hand, Naruto reached into his pocket in search for something to gift to the kind man whom had helped him. Finding nothing, Naruto frowned, but another idea entered his mind and the prince quickly reached for the circle shaped necklace that he wore around his neck. Removing it from it's position around his neck, Naruto handed it to Spriggan and smiled.

"What is this for, Naruto?" Spriggan asked in surprise, not expecting that sort of action from Naruto.

"It's a gift, Spriggan-nii-chan!" Naruto exclaimed in happiness as he placed the necklace into the black haired man's hand. "Since you gave me a gift, Tou-chan always said that it was right to return the favor. So I gave you my favorite necklace!"

Spriggan was eyeing the child in shock until a small, but gentle smile graced his features and he closed his hand around the gift, "Thank you, Naruto. I will treasure this gift. Now, I must go, goodbye Naruto."

"Will I ever see you again, Nii-chan?"

There came no response as Spriggan vanished leaving behind Naruto and Arcadios blinking in confusion.

* * *

Spriggan appeared once again shielded from the light by the cool shadow cast upon him by a tree, eyeing the small castle that was built near Malba City. His eyes landing on a familiar blonde child who was reading the book that he had held onto for hundreds of years. A ghost of a smile formed on his features as Spriggan could not help but feel a sense of dread fill his heart. When time came, he would have to crush Fiore and Spriggan knew in his heart Naruto would be there to oppose him. A paltry feeling, but nonetheless a feeling of hope remained in his heart as he watched Naruto read the book he had gifted him.

Living for over four hundred years, Spriggan had been called many names. Ranging from monster to emperor, but it seemed his most famous name was the one bestowed upon him by his deceased parents, Zeref Dragneel. Or what many others preferred to call him, Zeref the Black Wizard. After waiting for hundreds of years, Zeref, desired to die, but he needed to wait as his plan he had set in motion hundreds of years ago would finally be in motion. Zeref would see his brother again, and hopefully he would be able to finally die in the hands of his brother. As his eyes lingered on Naruto, Zeref could not help but release an emotionless chuckle that never reached his eyes, maybe Naruto would be the one to kill him.

Walking back into the forest, Zeref could not help but wonder why his curse did not activate when Naruto was around, it had taken the life of his beloved, but it seemed Naruto had managed to escape the suffering that it caused upon physical contact. For now, Zeref would keep an eye on Naruto, his empire was being constructed to kill time, and it seemed that he would have a worthy opponent in the form of Naruto. Or that was what he hoped for, maybe, just maybe Naruto would be able to kill him, if not Natsu would do just fine.

* * *

 **Time Skip**

 **Year x784**

The light from the rising sun shone down on the lush land of Fiore, animals and humans alike arose from their slumber and morning rituals began like usual. Songbirds graced the lands with their entrancing melody, signifying the dawn of a new day. A single dirt path continued on until the port city known as Hargeon Town was visible for the one following the path. Upon sight of that town, a smile graced the lips of the traveler.

"Prince Naruto," the voice of Arcadios rang forth in the silent country side, "Hargeon Town is not far away, shall I run ahead and secure you a quarter?"

"There is no need, Arcadios." Naruto shook his head in response. "I told you before, I will not indulge in the perks of royalty when I am on my travels. I want to see what it is like to live as the people of my Kingdom."

"As you wish, my Prince." Arcadios bowed as he could not help but sigh.

The duo continued their journey to Hargeon Town in a comfortable silence, over the years, Naruto had grown exponentially. During his short time in Château de Tulipano, a spark of desire had weaved it's way into Naruto's heart. After his encounter with Spriggan, Naruto desired to be like him, a nomad who traveled the lands. Years behind the castle walls of Mercurius had fueled the desire further, and in time, Toma, his father had allowed him to travel the Kingdom with Arcadios by his side. Accepting the offer graciously, Naruto had bed his goodbye to his father and sister before leaving. Yes, he now had a sister. Hisui E. Fiore, the daughter of King Toma E. Fiore and his second wife.

Though the second Queen would later on pass onto the after life, Naruto did not know how to feel about that event. He was saddened of course, but she had not played much of a role in his life for him to truly care for her, so in a sense, he was only saddened because he had saw Hisui cry. There was no more to it than that. Over the years, Naruto had grown up physically and mentally. Standing at above average height, Naruto's sun-kissed spiky blonde locks had been kept short. Not much of his physical appearance changed aside from his height and weight, he still attained his bright blue eyes as well as his prominent whisker-like birthmarks. Naruto's attire was fit for a mage, he wore a high-collared black coat with golden trimmings and under that was a simple orange shirt with plated armor around his abdomen, a pair of loose black pants were worn along with a pair of matching boots.

The outfit was one that Naruto had put together when King Toma had insisted on protective armor for his attire and thus, Naruto had requested some armor for his abdomen and clothing that would be reinforced. Arcadios, still wore his traditional Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron, but Naruto insisted on him removing the cape and some ornaments making it seem more like a regular set of steel armor. Arcadios, had accepted those conditions without much protest as his liege only desired to blend in with the common folk rather than stick out like a sore thumb with the intricate armor and symbols that he bore in his regular set of armor.

Making their way into the city, Naruto could not help but have his eyes wonder. He had never visited Hargeon Town before in his life, this was a brand new experience for him. Traveling around, Naruto learned many things along the way. Though his Kingdom was at peace, there was still crime and uncertainty revolving around the Dark Mages plaguing his Kingdom. The population of Fiore was seventeen million, ten percent of that number were mages so, around one hundred seventy thousand were mages and half of them were Dark Mages. Troubling as it was, most mages used Caster magic which was in most cases superior to Holder magic and the latter was what the Kingdom had most access to. That was not the only issue, not too long ago, there had been an attempted attack by the Alvarez Empire in x781. And not even a year ago, in x783, the empire had severe all connections with the other countries of Ishgar, Fiore included. Trouble was brewing, and that empire would be the cause of it.

Naruto accidentally bumped into someone as his mind was lost in thought, stumbling back in surprise, Arcadios assisted the prince and helped him obtain his footing before turning to glare at the fallen individual. Sitting on the ground rubbing her head in pain was a young woman with fair skin and brown eyes, her golden blonde hair was around shoulder-length and was held in a ponytail to the side by a blue ribbon that matched her blue and white shirt and matching skirt.

"Watch where you are going." Arcadios said as a frown settled onto his features.

"Hey! I was the one that was bumped into!" the woman shouted in response as she turned to look up and her sudden feeling of rage subsided as quickly as it came when she came face to face with a displeased Arcadios.

"Enough Arcadios." Naruto said as he raised his hand.

Helping the woman up, Naruto gave her an apologetic look and spoke, "Sorry about that. Arcadios is very protective of me, I never got your name. I am Naruto Uzumaki."

"Lucy Heartfilia." the newly named Lucy responded as she shook his hand.

"Well, I am sorry for bumping into you." Naruto said as a smile erupted onto his face.

"Ah... Um... No worries." Lucy replied as she did stood there awkwardly. After that apology, she really saw no reason to stick around so, she began walking away before saying her goodbyes.

After that strange encounter, Naruto proceeded forward and began scouting for an Inn to relocate into. They had been traveling for some time and it would be best to rest for now. Continuing forward, Naruto a tall and slim man with mildly short, spiky blue hair that was jutted outwards. The man had a rectangular face and sharp features, dark eyes and dark eyebrows, with a dark tattoo covering the right part of his forehead. His attire consisted of orante clothing which was made up of, a dark high-collared cape reaching down to his knees, a simple light short-sleeved shirt with outlined edges was worn under his cape, as well as a pair of light pinstriped pants held up by a belt, with a pair of dark shoes completing his outfit.

Not bothering to even spare him a glance, Naruto pushed forward, but his eyes did catch the two rings adorning the man's right hand. Arcadios seemed to as well, neither of them did not anything but proceed into the closest Inn and Arcadios asked for a room. Once that was done, they immediately headed there.

"My Prince, that man had a charm ring on him." Arcadios said as he and Naruto had made themselves comfortable in their room.

"Yes, I know." Naruto nodded his head, "Arcadios. Watch over him and if he uses that charm, have him brought in. We cannot arrest him for simply possessing that charm, many collectors have that specific magic charm in their collections. Even though Tou-chan outlawed them years ago."

"As you wish, my Prince." Arcadios bowed his head and walked to the door in preparation for his new set of orders, "But before I leave, may I ask what you are planning to do, my Prince?"

"Well, Hisui-chan said that she wanted some keys for her collection." Naruto said, "So I'm going to see if I can buy any new keys for her."

Arcadios bowed his head once again and left without another word. Naruto lingered in the room for a second or two before he too left with a new goal in mind, Hisui, his sister though not fully by blood, they were very close. Like him, Hisui was a mage, though her magic was Celestial Spirit Magic a magic very different from his own. Hisui, had a small collection of keys that were gifted to her by either Naruto or Toma.

* * *

Naruto's mood had lightened dramatically, after he had found a silver key that his sister did not have, Naruto could not wait until he had the chance to give it to Hisui. Strolling through Hargeon Town with a smile present on his face, Naruto caught sight of a horde of women. Eyeing them closely, Naruto made out a familiar individual standing in the middle of the horde of women, it was that man before with charm magic. Proceeding forward, Naruto looked around and found Arcadios spying on the man from an ally.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies, please calm down." the man said with a smile, "I think we can get to know each other better if you all came to a party that I am having on my yacht tonight."

"Kya~ Salamander-sama's having a party~!" the women all screamed in unison.

"Well then, farewell for now!" the man said as he snapped his finger and a streak of purple flames brought him into the skies and he flew off into the harbor.

The women dispersed quickly enough and Naruto turned to his right where Arcadios now stood.

"Arcadios, who is this Salamander they speak of?" Naruto asked.

"Salamander is a member of the Guild known as Fairy Tail." Arcadios answered, "He is an A-Ranked Fire Mage that is quite well known by the public."

"Fairy Tail... That guild... Is it the same one that destroys buildings and causes major damage on their every job?"

"Yes, my Prince. They are that guild."

"I see. Investigate further, and we shall see what happens in the port tonight. Knowing Fairy Tail, destruction will follow their members. Try to keep the damage to a minimum." Naruto said as he began to walk off.

* * *

Naruto was standing on the wooden port watching a ship sailing off into the distance, nothing seemed wrong until a small explosion consumed the roof of that ship and what seemed to be a flying cat carrying a familiar blonde woman away from the ship. The cat and woman did not make it to land as they both plummeted into the sea and soon enough a golden light consumed their position and a royal blue mermaid appeared. The mermaid had a long blue fishtail, light blue hair that reached her waist, and a large bust concealed by a revealing dark blue bikini top. On each of her arms, there was a armlet and bracelet golden in color. Wielding a urn, the mermaid quickly brought it up and a tidal wave roared into existence and carried the ship back to port.

"Get out of here! Hurry, go!" Naruto shouted as he directed townsfolk away from the port.

A sound of crying overtook his hearing and Naruto saw a little girl huddled by a stand lost in the chaos around her, rushing forward, Naruto grabbed hold of her and sprinted back to Hargeon Town. As the swarm of townsfolk entered the town avoiding the incoming wave, Naruto jumped high into the air and landed safely on the roof of a building with the child held protectively in his arms just was a the wave crashed into port destroying the wooden boardwalk as well as various stands. Hopping back onto the ground, Naruto released the girl and turned towards the destruction with an enraged look in his eyes.

Arcadios who had been helping villagers back into the town, quickly ran to his liege's side and spoke, "My Prince, that wave had destroyed some merchant stands and a few townsfolk have been lost."

"Get the army, now!" Naruto shouted as he directed his angered gaze towards the cause of the destruction, "I will deal with those prisoners... Personally."

"As you wish." Arcadios said, "Be careful, my Prince."

With those words spoken he was off, Naruto stalked towards ship that was now wrecked on the beach. An aura of magical power surrounded Naruto's body as he saw the woman who had did this was non other than Lucy Heartfilia herself. That woman Naruto had met when he had first arrived in Hargeon Town, with a blue cat that had a green sack tied to his back.

"Lucy," Naruto said as he caught the blonde's attention before continuing, "Did you do this to the port?"

Lucy chuckled nervously and nodded her head that matched her nervous chuckle perfectly. Naruto frowned deeply but before he could even speak, another explosion was heard. Turning his attention to the explosion, Naruto spotted Salamander speaking to a lean, muscular young man around average height and slightly tanned skin, black eyes, spiky pink-colored hair, and abnormal canines. The young man's outfit consisted of a sleevless gold trimmed, black waistcoat opened revealing his bare chest, a matching cloth was around his waist and a pair of white shorts were worn as well, and finally completing his outfit was a pair of black sandals.

"Natsu, watch out!" Lucy shouted in a worried tone as Salamander shot a blast of purple fire at the newly named Natsu.

"Don't worry, Lucy." the cat said casually, "Natsu wont be hurt by those flames. We forgot to tell you, but Natsu is a mage too. Fire magic wont work against Natsu."

True to the cat's words, Natsu opened his mouth wide and ate the flames encasing his body. After he had slurped his fill, Naruto could not help but raise an eyebrow. "Natsu uses a special brand of magic that turns his body into a dragon's." the cat continued.

Naruto needed no further explanation as he summed up what Natsu's magic truly was, "Dragon Slayer."

"Your friend gets it," the cat said and then a smirk form on his face as he addressed Lucy, "You're really slow aren't you, Lucy?"

"Shut up cat!" Lucy snarled as she tried to swat the cat out of the air without much success.

Ignoring the two and their antics, Naruto walked forward as a shadow masked the upper part of his face. Lucy stopped her assault on the cat and gave her attention to Naruto. Looking at the silent blonde in worry, she put her worry into words and directed it to him, "Naruto... Where are you going?"

"I'm going to stop this pointless fight before it's over." Naruto said as he walked forward.

"Naruto! They're both mages, you will get hurt if you get between a fight between mages." Lucy called out as she tried to talk some sense into her fellow blonde. Lucy then turned to the cat and asked a question that had formed in her mind, "By the way, Happy, do you know who that other mage is?"

"He's Bora of Prominence, a former member of the Titan Nose Guild but he was kicked out for assisting thievery." Happy replied as he floated beside Lucy once again, "Now, it looks like he's pretending to be this Salamander to lure women onto his slave ship."

Those words seemed to fuel the already burning fire in Naruto's chest, swiftly walking forward, Naruto did not reach the two fire mages in time as Natsu, unleashed a wave of intense fire consuming a large portion of the port and town in it's wake. Bounding forward, Naruto reached the two fire mages before Natsu had the chance to defeat Bora and caught the incoming punch that was sent towards Bora. Turning to eye Natsu, Naruto gave him an intense look as he increased the pressure applied to the pink haired mage's fist.

"Who're are you, ya' bastard!" Natsu asked as he tried to release his fist from Naruto's grip.

"That is not important," Naruto answered with a frown, "What is important is that you not only destroyed the port and boardwalk, but your reckless use of mage also destroyed the livelihood of many townsfolk."

Bora, who was backing away slowly, decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth and turned to run, but Naruto's next words stopped him in his tracks, "And you, Bora of Prominence. You will answer for your crimes as well. I will make sure you rot in the darkest prison room in all of Fiore."

As he finished those words, Natsu ignited his other fist in flames and sent it towards Naruto who used his other hand to grab hold of his wrist and slammed the fist into the ground. A large force of soldiers wearing the robes of the military quickly came into view and began surrounding the port with spears raised and magical items ready. Leading the force was Arcadios himself, Naruto released Natsu and two soldiers grabbed hold of him and restrained him as well as Bora and his men. Lucy and Happy were not spared either, both of them were bond in magic draining lacrima and sent towards tow magical vehicles ready to transport them to the nearest jail. Though Lucy did not have a major part in this event, she had helped destroy the port so there would be charges placed on her as well.

"Arcadios, send a letter to Fairy Tail immediately," Naruto ordered as he released a tired sigh, "Tell the master of that guild, that a member of the guild has been under arrest and there are fines he or she must pay for his release."

"How much should they pay, my Prince?"

"Whatever it takes for the townsfolk who lost their livelihood in the battle to restart again. The same applies for Bora and his men, if they possess any form of accounts in any banks, freeze those assets and distribute them to the people they have troubled."

"Yes, my Prince."

As Arcadios walked off, Naruto's mind moved to the guild known as Fairy Tail. He already had an low opinion of that guild for their destructive tendencies and the trouble they continuously caused for the people of his Kingdom, but now witnessing what they actually did had lowered his opinion further. Not only did they disregard their surroundings, but it seemed their members lacked discipline. That would change, the future of this Kingdom rested on his shoulders. The dynasty of the E. Fiore family did as well, Fairy Tail seemed to be a guild he needed to further investigate. Naruto had to make sure they did not step out of line, like the accounts from the Magic Council had spoke of.

 **Chapter end**

 **Hope you guys liked it and please leave a review. I wanted to ask you guys what magic I should give him, that is currently stumping me at the moment, also, tell me who you want him to be paired with. I honestly do not know since I have not been keeping up with Fairy Tail for some time. Anyways, leave a review and thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A Whirlpool of Change**

 **Sorry for the late chapter, but I had a little writer's block. Now, I want to thank BarelyProdigies for becoming my new beta. Anyways, tell me if this font is a little weird, my computer shows it like this so I don't know how it will look on another computer or phone. Now, about this chapter, I will be straying from the canon a bit and also I will not bash any characters, but honestly Fairy Tail just does whatever they want too much.**

 **Chapter 2: A Diverging Path**

King Toma, ruler of the Kingdom of Fiore and father of both Naruto and Hisui E. Fiore was seated on the throne with a faraway expression decorating his aging face. Toma, was an extremely short elderly man with aging white hair swept across his head and a small mustache neatly settled on his face, dressed in striped overalls and a cape with the crown of Fiore settled on his head. Allowing his mind to wonder, Toma could not help but have his thoughts linger on his missing child. After his son, Naruto, had left the palace of Mercurius, Hisui had been distant as of lately. It had been an uncomfortable decision to allow Naruto his journey away from the castle, Toma knew that the day was fast approaching when Naruto desired to explore the world beyond the castle walls. Toma never looked forward to the day, Naruto's image was hardly known to the world due to Toma's overprotectiveness. Having lost not one, but two wives, Toma had grown to fear the loss of loved ones. The harsh world not only had taken away his wives, and left him with two wonderful children, he feared his children would be next.

Years of worrying over that subject, Toma had been quite pleased when he had found out about his son's desire to learn magic. And, with his approval, Toma had gave his son permission to learn from the Royal Library. The Royal Library was a building that was built since the dawn of the kingdom itself, as its name implied, the Royal Library held knowledge that was only available to the Royal Family, and anyone caught inside of that location not given permission by the King or was accompanied by one of the E. Fiore's, were killed on sight. Much like the inside of Castle Mercurius, anyone not associated with the family or held any reason to be there were killed or imprisoned. Fond memories flooded Toma's mind as a sigh filled with nostalgia escaped his lips and Toma shook away the memories as he heard the doors leading into the throne room open.

Running inside was a man dressed in simple clothing fitting for a traveler bounded into the room and flew into a bow. Blinking in surprise, Toma eyed the man with an odd expression as his eyes widened slightly in realization when a memory jogged in the back of his mind upon viewing the newly arrived male's face. Eyeing him over, Toma could see that he was a member of the long chain of messengers that only presented information that was very important. And the current task Toma had set them with was to look out for his son, in hopes that he would be provided help when needed.

"Your majesty, I have just received news of the imprisonment of the Fairy Tail mage, Natsu Dragneel." the man said as he caught his breathe.

Toma frowned slightly at that spoke in response to the man's words, "The Magic Council will handle these issues. What does it have to do with Naruto?"

"Prince Naruto, is the one who has arrested the mage," the man replied as he hastily added onto his sentence, "It seems has decided to arrest him after the destruction of the port of Hargeon Town and endangerment of the people."

The King could not help but sigh, Fairy Tail was always a headache he wished to address, but his advisers had been quick to counter his desire. After the war attempt by the Alvarez Empire, the Kingdom of Fiore had been shown what power was outside of Ishgar. The Alvarez had sailed an entire armada straight for Fiore with the commander leading the charge someone that rivaled the strongest of the Ten Wizard Saints. As Fiore scrambled to amass a force worthy enough to combat the approaching armada, Toma and his advisers had been subjected to what true power was. Allowing the Magic Council to fire the magic weapon known as Etherion. That blast of magic was powerful enough to topple armies, yet this one had been able to survive their assault with only a portion of the armada wiped out.

Somehow, a barrier had been erected around some of the armada's ships and thus Etherion was neutralized. Before the Alvarez armada could even begin their assault, they had suddenly stopped their approach and retreated. What had happened remained unknown to the Kingdom of Fiore, but one thing they did know was that the Alvarez Empire had attempted to wage war and it seemed like they were going to attempt once again. And one stinging fact was that they were no longer as powerful as they had fooled themselves into believing. Their armies had slacked after years of peace and it seemed like it was effecting their mages as well. And so, a silent agreement had been made in the throne room between the King and the Magic Council. King Toma had agreed with his advisers when they had proposed allowing mages a bit more freedom so they had more room to grow their abilities, but now it seemed guilds like Fairy Tail were causing too much trouble for their worth. The Magic Council were in control, yes, but Toma had agreed for them to allow lighter sentences in hopes of strengthening Fiore before he passed on the crown to his son.

Pondering the issue with a conflicted look marring his wrinkled face, Toma turned to his right and spoke in a commanding tone, "Darton, what do you think?"

When the name Darton had been uttered, an old, hunched man with a pair of big ears, hammer shaped eyebrows, and a scar on the left of his face appeared. Dressed in a dark cap that covered a good portion of his head and reached down to most of his forehead, he also wore a light colored robe under a dark vest and a simple pair of shoes. Bowing to the King, the one named Darton gained a similar expression that Toma wore and remained silent.

"Your majesty," Darton called out as his mind had been finally made, "Prince Naruto has done us a great favor indeed."

"How so, I thought we were allowing the mages more freedom in their growth," Toma muttered as he glanced at the man, "I believe it is the perfect chance to reign in the Fairy Tail Guild."

Toma eyed the man with a thoughtful look before ushering for him to continue. Darton bowed and continued his train of thought, "If we were to punish Fairy Tail for their actions, we can reign in other mages and other Guilds showing them that they are not above the law. As we have allowed them three years of leniency, I believe it is best to remind them who is truly in charge."

Toma nodded his head in agreement as he thought of the proposal for a second longer then turned to the messenger and spoke in a tone fit for a king, "Go and send a message to the Magic Council for me."

The messenger raised his head expectantly as the king spoke once again, "Tell them that Natsu Dragneel will not be put on trial and the Guild Master must be reviewed by them. Have them threaten Fairy Tail with the punishment of disbandment if the guild is not reigned in."

"Yes, my King!" the messenger said as he bowed his head and quickly bolted out the room leaving behind the two elderly men.

Watching him leave, King Toma turned to his trusted adviser and spoke in a tone that was more subdued, "Darton... How is Hisui doing at the moment?"

Darton turned to his King and released a sigh, "Your majesty, Princess Hisui has been distant as of lately. When Prince Naruto had left the court to travel the Kingdom, the princess had hoped to go along with him."

Toma nodded his head in understanding as he sighed in return, "What am I going to do with Naruto, Darton?"

Darton remained silent as his king began speaking once again, "I am not getting any younger and eventually I would have to step down from my position as King and hand it off to Naruto. But, the boy hasn't had any sort of formal training and he doesn't accompany me to political meetings with other rulers. And now, he's running around the kingdom like his mother back in the day."

"My king," Darton said as he spoke his mind on this issue, "Prince Naruto has always been a free spirit. And at a young age, you do not expect him to take an interest in politics as of yet. It is best for the Prince to continue on his journey. For a youngster like him, it would be best if he finds a purpose to defend the kingdom just as you had, my King."

"... Yes, I will allow him to continue his little journey for now. At least he has Arcadios with him keeping him in check." Toma sighed in defeat as he gave his trusted adviser and friend a thankful smile, "Send a message to Naruto, Darton. Tell him that he is to not ever reveal his identity to the Kingdom. Though they may know his name, his face remains unknown. I do not wish for my enemies to attack him to get to me. Make sure it is personally delivered, you know how much Naruto likes to ignore my words."

"Yes, my King."

* * *

"Makarov Dreyar, third Guild Master of Fairy Tail," a booming voice belonging to none other than the Chairman of the Magic Council himself, Gran Doma, "Your Guild has done it again."

Gran Doma, was tall and fit elderly man with long graying hair dropping to his back as well as a similarly long gray beard. Clad in fitted armor, Gran also wore an ornate cape over his shoulder and on his head was a stereotypical wizard hat. In his right hand was a long, wooden staff which had a serpents head engraved onto the head. Seated behind a desk, Gran stared down at the guild master of Fairy Tail, the one named Makarov Dreyar. Like Gran, Makarov was an elderly man, but unlike the chairman he was an extremely short one. Possessing a deep set of black eyes, Makarov was also growing bald with only the outer rims of his head containing white hair, as well as his thick mustache. Dressed in a plain orange hoodie and a white shirt with the Fairy Tail emblem printed on it, his outfit was completed with a pair of pointed shoes and a blue and orange jester hat.

"Honorable Chairman, I can assure you I will be taking care of Natsu," Makarov began with a bow of his head, "He will be punished for his actions in destroying Hergeon Town's port and damaging buildings and the stands the townsfolk had set up."

"That will not be enough," Gran Doma responded with a shake of his head, "Not only has your mage destroyed plenty of property, but he has endangered the lives of others as well! And no longer will be tolerate such an action!"

"Please, Honorable Chairman, I will punish him severely for putting civilians in harm's way. I just ask of you to forgive him once." Makarov pleaded as he bowed his head deeper in hopes of convincing the man standing before him.

"You are too lenient Makarov," Gran said as he shook his head, "Allowing him so much freedom will bring disastrous consequences. You must reign him in before Natsu harms anyone."

"Chairman, allowing my children free reign of their magic allows them to grow. How do you expect them to grow with so many restrictions placed on them, they cannot progress if they are always mindful of those rules weighing them down."

"A foolish ideology for a foolish guild master." a second voice clearly not belonging to Gran's rang out loud and clear.

Both men turned to the source of that and there was a mixture of reactions, Gran had his eyes wide open as he scurried to bow his head. Makarov on the other hand was staring at the young lad whom had been hidden by the darkness of the room with a strange glance. Standing there with his arms crossed was none other than Naruto Uzumaki himself. Makarov knew nothing of the prince and was left to his naivety, whilst Gran on the other hand could not believe the prince of all people was here in this trial. Thankfully, Makarov was too focused on Naruto to see the chairman of the Magic Council bowing to said boy.

"And who may you be?" Makarov asked ignoring the jab the boy had taken on him.

"I am no one of importance, merely a messenger." Naruto replied simply as he held a letter up to Gran before returning his gaze to Makarov, "A messenger who does not like the destruction that Fairy Tail brings where ever they go."

Makarov had nothing to say to that, though he personally knew his children were not destruction craving wizards, many whom were not so caught up by the stories published by the Sorcerers Magazine thought of them as so. Whilst the two exchanged glances, Gran read the letter that was handed to him and he nodded his head in understanding before returning his gaze to the two.

Gran turned his head and turned to address Makarov, "Makarov Dreyar, by the order of the King, Fairy Tail is hereby placed in suspension until further notice."

Makarov's eyes widened as he tore his gaze from the blonde and turned to the Chairman eyeing him with great vigor as he spoke, "Chairman, please there must be another way."

"There is nothing more I can do in this matter, Makarov," Gran replied as he cut off the elderly guild master, "The King has made his decision and I cannot defy his orders. From now on, the guild Fairy Tail is under suspension and all jobs going into the guild will be separated equally among the other guilds. Along with the suspension of the guild, all mages are not allowed to take up jobs until the suspension is lifted."

Bowing his head in defeat, Makarov could not help but sigh. Knowing he had lost, Makarov spoke in a tone matching his movements, "As you wish, Chairman..."

"Good," Gran nodded his head in approval, "The fine for one Natsu Dragneel and the Exceed Happy will be paid for immediately."

Makarov strayed away from the room as the Chairman turned to the other occupant in the room. When the door closed behind Makarov, Gran bowed his head once again to properly greet the Prince as he spoke, "My Prince, what are you doing here?"

"Chairman, I was here to merely see what sort of guild master is running a guild like Fairy Tail," Naruto responded as he ran a hand through his golden locks, "The guild is infamous for their destructive tendencies and it seems that I need to keep an eye on them. Among every other guild there is, Fairy Tail is a loose cannon. And it seems they are doing more evil than good, Chairman. I need you to keep me informed of their activities, can you do that?"

"O-of course, my Prince." Gran Doma said as he bowed his head in acceptance of that task.

"Oh and one more thing," Naruto said as he began making his way out of the room, "Keep this little conversation a secret between you and me. Tou-san does not need to know about this."

* * *

Lucy was having a bad day, in the span of an entire day, she had managed to get kidnapped, then rescued and then helped destroyed a port and finally, she got arrested. Not only was it bad that she got arrested by the army, but it was horrifying how much Jewels she needed to pay in exchange for her freedom. Now, Lucy was currently rolled up in a dimly lit stone room. The Jewels were a huge issue for her, not only was she barely able to pay her rent, but the encounter with Natsu had left her purse empty. Now, without a single Jewel to her name, Lucy knew it was going to be a matter of time until her father heard about this.

Her father was none other than Jude Heartfilia, the owner of the Heartfilia Konzern. The Heartfilia Konzern, was considered to be one of the wealthiest and most recognizable companies in all of Fiore, with immense amounts of Jewels coming in and out of the company every day, it was odd how Lucy, the daughter of the owner was penniless. It was simple really, the one thing that brought a brighter future to the Heartfilia Family also was the root all of their issues. Jude, spent a majority of his time working and dismissed his very own daughter in favor of his work. And in a series of events, Lucy had ran away from home without any form of protest from Jude.

The relationship between father and daughter was a strained one, after the death of Lucy's mother, Layla Heartfilia, their relationship had taken a turn for the worst. With the loss of Layla, Jude had thrown himself at his work. Endless hours with an equally endless wave of work piling up, Jude spent little time with his daughter. As a way to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, Jude had severed the connection to the one thing that she had left behind that reminded him so much of her, Lucy. Years flew by and the relationship had been finally estranged when Lucy had fled from home on one rainy night and took the Celestial Spirit Keys that Layla left behind. When Jude had found out about this, he simply scoffed. Lucy was merely a child when she had ran away, Jude simply thought she would return home when hunger would take over. But for the wealthy entrepreneur, he was wrong.

Lucy had left without turning back once, with a fierce determination guiding her forward, she had left behind the Heartfilia Konzern to her father and simply kept the name in honor of her mother. Jude, was impassive about the entire event, after realizing Lucy was not returning, Jude simply returned to work as if nothing had happened. Though a part of him, no matter how tiny desired to look for his daughter, he shook it off and returned to work.

Four years, that was how long Lucy had been gone for. Four years Jude simply continued working without even sparing his daughter a second thought. Without any form of contact between the two, whatever was left of their relationship slowly deteriorated in the passing years and soon enough, there was nothing left of the loving father and daughter relationship that once filled their hearts.

Lifting her head up, Lucy looked beyond the iron bars that kept her confined in the stone room and eyed the golden flame of a lantern that was slowly eating away the oil. The color of the flames sparked a distant memory buried among the other ones revolving her past at the Heartfilia Konzern. Accompanying the color of gold was the color green, belonging to the siblings that she had spent time with in her younger years, those years where her mother was still alive. All Lucy could remember was that a brother and a sister, children of her mother's good friends had spent time there. Though there was a short time they spent together, Lucy could honestly say they were her first friends, how every long they had been there.

Lucy was snapped out of her thoughts when the jingle of keys became audible, gazing at the source of those noises, Lucy found herself eyeing a guard in the traditional uniform of the Fiore Army. The iron door groaned in protest as it was swung open and the guard entered, gesturing for her to stand up, Lucy complied and did so.

"Come on, someone wants to see you." the guard said as he guided the young blonde out of the cell and into the illuminated halls.

Following him without uttering a word, Lucy's mood was already horrible and when the guard mentioned someone wanting to speak to her, Lucy could feel a sense of dread fill her heart. Stopping behind a door, the guard opened it and gestured for her to enter. Walking into the room, Lucy had her head lowered and her eyes picked up the details of the small room immediately. Like her cell, it had stone walls and a single window that was tinted, in the middle was a wooden table with two chairs facing each other from opposite sides, and a small light illuminated the room from above. Seated there on one seat was the last person she wished to see in this sort of a situation, her father.

Jude Heartfilia, appearing like the same he had been since she had left, Lucy could not help but clench her fists in worry. Jude was a relatively tall man in his middle ages, possessing a pair of disinterested black eyes and blonde hair that was kept extremely neat and trim with a matching trimmed mustache present above his mouth. His attire consisted of a expensive maroon red suit and a pair of matching dress shoes, beside him laid a black briefcase.

Eyeing Lucy for a second or two, Jude gestured for her to sit. Lucy did not move an inch and the corners of Jude's mouth slackened as he spoke in a commanding tone, "Lucy, have a seat. We have much to discuss, _daughter_."

Obeying his order, Lucy walked in a agonizing slow pace as she shakily seated herself in front of her father.

"Now, Lucy. Let's begin."

* * *

The continuous rhythm of wheels clacking against the hardened earth resonated from a wooden carriage. As the wooden transportation traveled down the path, the two passengers were busy conferring. Seated inside the carriage was Naruto himself, after hiring one to leave Era after his little intervention with the Magic Council's ruling, he decided it was best to move onto the next town. Arcadios, was seated faithfully in front of his liege, after the events that had transpired, the knight had been busy keeping his sword sharp. Naruto on the other hand was indulged in a book that look ancient, with its leather bindings torn and looked as if it would fall apart any second now.

"My Prince, it is not my place to ask this, but is the book that interesting?" Arcadios asked as he looked up from his task at hand.

"Arcadios, this book has always had a spot in my heart. After the meeting with Spriggan-nii-san, this book was what influenced me to adventure through the kingdom. After all, this is the same book that taught me my magic." Naruto answered as he tore his gaze from the book and eyed his knight who could see the small smile forming on his face.

"I see." Arcadios said as he went silent once more consuming hid mind with the task of sharpening his blade.

Silence reigned supreme as both of them spoke no words, as the two enjoyed the silence, neither of them expected the carriage to suddenly stop. The sudden action forced Arcadios's blade out of his hands and it clattered onto the wooden floor, bending down to retrieve it, Naruto steadied himself and eyed the front of the carriage curiously. Arcadios retrieved his weapon and sheathed it as he hopped off of the carriage and stalked towards the front. Naruto followed his knight's example and jumped onto the solid earth, scanning the layer of trees surrounding them, Naruto eyed the scenery for a second before walking away to find his knight.

Arcadios who had went directly to the driver attempting to find the reason for the sudden stop had not expected the driver to pull a knife on him. And what made it worse was that men began piling out of the woods with various arrangements of weapons, ranging from crossbows to swords. The first word that came into his mind was, bandits. To be honest, Arcadios had not expected the carriage driver to be in on the heist as well, but it seemed he would have to fight his way out of this. But, just as his mind settle onto the idea of combat, it suddenly found itself focusing on Naruto. It was his duty to protect his prince, and with such large numbers he was facing, it would be difficult to do so.

The carriage driver held his knife firmly against Arcadios's throat, a twisted smirk replaced his pleasant smile and the man pressed the blade against the knight's tanned skin hard enough to draw a line of fresh red blood. Arcadios released a grunt as he felt the sting of the cut, but he did nothing else but snarl at the man with an enraged look in his eyes. Arcadios could not draw his blade, for it was removed by the driver and it seemed that the other bandits had successfully swarmed the carriage and blocked all paths of escape. Mind racing to form a plan, Arcadios knew that Naruto could defend himself, but it was still his duty to protect the prince. Kneeing his attacker in the stomach, Arcadios somersaulted forward and retrieved his blade. Quickly regaining his footing, the knight unsheathed his weapon and dropped into a defensive position. Eyeing the bandits with a calculative gaze, Arcadios saw they held no intentions of attacking and so decided to do it for them.

A loud, pain filled scream caught Arcadios's and the other bandits as they turned to the source of it. The one who had released that scream was one of the bandits, his mace that he once wielded was now implanted painfully onto his foot. Naruto, was holding that bandit by the neck with an annoyed look on his face, turning to face the other bandits, Naruto eyed them carefully before sending a punch at the bandit he had in a hold. As the bandit dropped onto the earth, multiple cries rang from the sea of bandits as they charged forward with weapons brandished and fury in their actions. Allowing them to come, Naruto stood his ground as the first bandit came into his short range and the Prince, ducked under a sword slash and gripped the bandit's hand which held the sword. Applying pressure to it, Naruto kicked the bandit and forced him to his knees before he grabbed hold of the sword.

"I'm going to borrow this." Naruto said as he sent another kick at the bandit before he quickly parried an incoming swipe from an axe.

Pushing his attacker away, Naruto used the flat of his blade to smack his attacker's wrist and then kicked him backwards. Moving to intercept two weapons sent his way, Naruto rolled to the right avoiding a slam from a battle axe and jumped backwards to avoid another slash. Side stepping a charging bandit, Naruto used his blade to block an incoming sword slash. The bandits were proving to be real annoyances, though he was more skilled in combat, their numbers made up for the lack of skill. Arcadios, was busy handling his own group of bandits so he was alone for now. Ducking under yet another slash, Naruto decided enough was enough. Swinging his sword up, Naruto caught a vertical slash with his blade and then kicked the attacker back once again. Leaning backwards to avoid a slash, Naruto used his free hand to jerk the bandit forward and then tripped him to the ground. Stomping on the fallen bandit for reassurance, Naruto could only sigh as a bandit filled up the gap that defeated one had left. Finally, the bandits had decided to all attack once which left Naruto in a very appalling position.

Throwing the sword down onto the ground, Naruto began channeling his magic around him and a familiar flow of power flooded his senses. As magic flowed from his core to every part of his being, the earth bellow him cracked under the overwhelming pressure and Naruto's eyes shown with power. Bandits began backing away in fear once they had seen what was beginning to occur, Arcadios whom had successfully taken down another bandit turned to gaze at his liege once more. Ever since the meeting with the wizard named Spriggan, Naruto had been enthralled with magic and did everything in his power to learn it. And during the training Naruto had went through to learn the magic from the book Spriggan had gifted him, Arcadios had been caught up in the magic at times. An occupational hazard that embedded itself in the long list of dangers that went with being the knight of a prince.

"So, who's first?"

 **Chapter end**

 **Thank you guys for reading and please leave a review, tell me what you think Naruto's magic will be. I honestly want to know what you guys think about it so far. Anyways, I am still stuck on the idea about the pairing so any ideas and oh, I am considering Brandish and Dimaria from the Alvarez Empire, it seems like an interesting dynamic.**


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